Anyway, this is the story of a trial in 1683 of one John Martin (played by Wilf Scolding, Rhaegar Targaryen in Game of Thrones), accused of murdering local girl Ann Clarke (Jessica Temple). Capaldi plays Mr Dolben, the prosecutor in the case, who brings to the attention of the court a rather curious detail against the accused... that he and the victim were seen several times after she had died. So this plays less like a traditional haunting tale, more a courtroom drama where the key evidence is an account of apparitions. It's a mix that works quite well, as the way the actual visitations of the deceased Ann Clarke are described by the witnesses feel a lot like real life accounts of supposed ghost sightings. It all builds quite naturally, teasing us like the best of these should with glimpses of the ghost before a final grand reveal.
I've been enjoying Gatiss' ghost stories since Crooked House in 2008, they have some of his best writing, he is somehow able to pack more good storytelling into half an hour then some feature length movies (Hell, even a few TV series I've seen) do in their runtimes. This is no exception, even though we are only observing this little community for a short time, we get a quite good idea of what the place is like, where certain characters' places are in it, and their relationships to everyone else. Part of that is down to the excellent cast, all of whom bring their characters to life so well. One who deserves particular praise is Elliot Levey who plays the trial's judge, Judge George Jeffreys, a real life figure who gained infamy for presiding over (after the time of this story) those charged in the Bloody Assizes. Levey brings him to life well, a figure of the upper classes, with the pomposity that brings, but he makes clear that he's someone who takes the law entirely seriously, that matters of class or privilege will not sway him in his sentencing. He was the definition of the term "harsh, but fair" in real life, and this portrayal feels very true.
From left to right are writer/director Mark Gatiss, actors Wilf Scolding, Fisayo Akinade, & Jessica Temple, interviewer Matthew Sweet, and actor Sara Crowe.
This is a great little production, and makes for an interesting contrast with Gatiss' work on Dracula. That one is full blooded, going for real terror, whereas this one is far more of a mood piece. It should be mentioned that this is actually a fairly funny watch for the most part, it's not out to utterly horrify you, just give a pleasant shiver up the spine on a cold Christmas Eve night. It's a modest little production, well crafted to go for the same vibe of one of Monty's readings to his students in Cambridge all those years ago. Incidentally, it's not the only TV ghost story this Christmas; Channel Five are doing an adaptation of Susan Hill's novella The Small Hand on Boxing Day, that should be a treat too! But I can say with certainty that this is a great little treat to watch as Christmas Eve turns over into Christmas Day, do check it out. Gatiss has said that he would love to do more of these, bringing up Count Magnus, the James story that everyone would love to see on screen. If BBC Four can get the budget together for that (since it's set in Sweden, maybe talk to the companies behind the Scandidramas they've been showing), I'd be so up for that! Oh, and BFI? By next Christmas, Blu Ray box set of all of Gatiss' ghost stories plz?
Martin's Close will be shown at 10pm on BBC Four on Christmas Eve, and then available on iPlayer.
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